Obituaries for June 8, 2011

Gresham resident Harold Douglas Garnett died Friday, May 27. He was 87.

A celebration of his life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 11, at First Baptist Church, 224 W. Powell Blvd. Interment was at Willamette National Cemetery in Portland.

Harold was born Feb. 9, 1924, in Hill City, Kan., to Charles and Winnie (Clark) Hildebrand. After his mother's death, Harold was adopted and raised by Robert and Ola (Clark) Garnett. He graduated from Hill City High School in 1942.

Harold served as a technical sergeant in the Army Air Corps during World War II and was stationed in Brazil.

On April 17, 1943, he married Mary Elizabeth Ohman in Henrietta, Texas. They moved to Gresham in 1949.

Harold worked for Petersen Plumbing for 21 years. He later worked as a chief plumbing inspector for Multnomah County for 17 years before his retirement in 1988. He continued working part time for the city of Gresham.

Harold volunteered for the Gresham Fire Department. His favorite activities included traveling in a recreational vehicle, boating, drawing house plans for others and going for Sunday drives.

His wife preceded him in death on Sept. 17, 2010.

Survivors include his sons, John Garnett of Boring and Robert Garnett of Welches; daughters, Shirley Geisler of Gresham and Gloria Driscoll of Boring; sister, Betilu Lundbom of Gresham; and several grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

Visit Harold's page at batemancarrollfunerals.com to sign his guestbook.

Bateman Carroll Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

Kurt Schwarz

June 8, 1924-June 5, 2011

Former Gresham resident Kurt Schwarz died Sunday, June 5, in Redwood City, Calif., of complications from lung cancer. He was 86.

A celebration of his life will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 23, at The Sheraton Four Points Hotel, 1919 N.E. 181st Ave.

Kurt was born June 8, 1924, in Vienna, Austria, to Joseph Schwarz and Resi Schimmer. Kurt was raised and educated in Vienna.

In 1948, Kurt emigrated from Austria to Sweden, and then in 1951 to Canada, where he resided for 10 years. He worked his way up from an equipment mechanic to a foreman at a paper mill in Canada. He moved to the United States in 1961 and settled in Portland, where he worked as a paper mill foreman. He became a U.S. citizen in 1967 and two years later started Jackson-Schwarz, a paper mill construction company. Kurt retired in 1977.

In August 1983, he met Pearl Kang, a widow from Gresham, at a dance in Portland. They were married Sept. 3, 1983, and built their home in Gresham. They enjoyed going on cruises to Mexico, the Panama Canal and Alaska. They also took a trip to Austria to see Kurt's birthplace in Vienna and to Salzburg, where they visited the tourist sites linked to one of Pearl's favorite movies, 'The Sound of Music.'

Kurt spoke multiple languages including German, Swedish, Russian, Italian and French. He was known for his well-equipped garage shop and his woodworking and auto mechanic skills. He was also passionate about the food from his homeland and enjoyed preparing schnitzel dinners for his family. After Pearl developed Parkinson's disease, Kurt served as her caregiver until her death in December 2002.

Survivors include his stepson, Steven Kang of Duvall, Wash.; stepdaughters, Valerie Kang of Mountain View, Calif., and Karen Kang of Palo Alto, Calif.; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Kurt's grandson Andrew Kang is running in a marathon to benefit the LUNGevity Foundation for lung cancer research. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made at events.lungevity.org/

Gresham resident Clifford Charles Bergstrom died Thursday, June 2. He was 79.

A service of remembrance will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, June 10, at Bateman Carroll Funeral Home, 520 W. Powell Blvd.

Clifford was born Jan. 3, 1932, in Ortonville, Minn., to Morton and Agnes (Faulk) Bergstrom. Clifford moved to Portland in 1939 and attended Parkrose High School before graduating from Franklin High School in 1950. He served in the Navy from 1950 to 1954 and then attended Portland State University.

On Feb. 22, 1958, he married Barbara Lee Reklev. They raised their two children in East Portland and Gresham. They were divorced.

Clifford worked for 25 years with Freightliner in sales and service and also for Gresham High School for 13 years before retiring. He was actively involved and a booster for sporting events at Gresham and Central Catholic high schools.

Clifford was an avid outdoorsman, gardener, handyman and storyteller, as well as a proud grandfather and friend to many.

Survivors include his son, Charles Bergstrom of Gresham; daughter, Julia Andrews of Edmonds, Wash.; six grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

A celebration of her life will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 11, at The Chapel, 27132 S.E. Stark St., Troutdale.

Vickie was born Feb. 12, 1955, in Vancouver, Wash., to Fay and Viola (Bebee) Colby. She grew up in Longview, Wash., and graduated from high school in 1973.

On June 25, 1983, she married Steven Eugene Means in Vancouver.

Vickie worked for Delta Industries as an office manager for 23 years. She loved cooking, reading and spending time with her family.

Her sister, Marilyn Allen, preceded her in death.

Survivors include her husband; son, Michael Means of Troutdale; daughter, Katie Tucker of Troutdale; sisters, Roxy Arundel of Otis, Kathy Fairchild of Siletz Bay and Arlene Thompson of Washington; and three grandchildren.

Visit Vickie's page at batemancarrollfunerals.com to sign her guestbook.

Bateman Carroll Funeral Home is handling arrangements.

Lorrell Stricker

Oct. 25, 1948-March 28, 2011

Former Gresham resident Lorrell Stricker, 62, died Monday, March 28.

A private service will be held.

Lorrell was born Oct. 25, 1948, in Portland to Lorne and Leona Purdy.

On Nov. 12, 1965, she married John Stricker. They resided in Gresham and in Boring before retiring to Culver 10 years ago.

Lorrell was a barber and worked at Perfect Look in Gresham for several years. She loved living in the Three Rivers community in Culver, where she enjoyed her friendships and watching wildlife, especially the deer.

Her sisters, Mary Bateman and Collette Bartruff, preceded her in death.

Survivors include her husband; daughters, Jeanette Muck of Vancouver, Wash., Moniece Snell of Vancouver and Wendy Littlepage of Boring; and six grandchildren.

Harley Ronald Bates

Aug. 23, 1934-June 4, 2011

Corbett resident Harley Ronald Bates died Saturday, June 4. He was 76.

A memorial service will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, June 27, at Greater Gresham Baptist Church, 3848 N.E. Division St.

Ron was born Aug. 23, 1934, in Portland to Harley and Hazel (Lucas) Bates. Ron graduated from Columbian High School in 1952 and from Lewis and Clark College in 1956.

Ron joined the Army in 1956 and was stationed at Fort Lee, Va., where he met Margaret 'Molly' Buyalos. They were married April 24, 1959, at his parents' home in Corbett.

Ron worked as a savings and loan officer and appraiser. He owned Rainbow Real Estate. Ron later worked at Warner Pacific College and then as an appraiser for the veterans' administration. He retired in 2000 but still did part-time appraising for the veterans' administration.

Ron attended Greater Gresham Baptist Church. He loved motorcycles and formed the Vista House Riders, enjoying many rides. He was a calligrapher, artist and avid reader. He enjoyed working in the gardens around his home, displaying birdhouses, installing lighting features, water features and arches and using his artistic talent. He also loved working in his garage.

Survivors include his wife, sons, Harley, Kevin and Jason, all of the Corbett area; nine grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Former Gresham resident Edna Lee Robinson died Sunday, June 5, at Olympia Medical Center in Port Angeles, Wash., with family by her side. She was 94.

A viewing will be from 1 to 5 p.m. Thursday, June 9, at Bateman Carroll Funeral Home, 520 W. Powell Blvd. A graveside service will be at 9:30 a.m. Friday, June 10, at Willamette National Cemetery, 11800 S.E. Mount Scott Blvd., Portland.

Edna was born Sept. 6, 1916, in Kingsport, Tenn., to Abraham and Mary (Davis) Sizemore.

Edna married James D. Robinson on Dec. 31, 1954, in Stevenson, Wash. James died in 1968.

Edna resided in Gresham from the 1950s until moving to Sequim, Wash., in 2007. She was an office worker for her husband's construction company.

Edna was a Baptist. Her interests included writing, politics and bowling. She was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary in Gresham.